''Beverly Hills Cop'' (1984) is the movie that made EddieMurphy a star. Axel Foley (Murphy) is a hip, street-smart detective in early 1980s UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}}; as something of a [[CowboyCop loose cannon]], he's not well respected by DaChief, but the other guys on the force love him. One day, an old friend of his visits -- then ends up killed by hitmen just outside Axel's apartment. Despite being warned away from the case Axel, determined to find out what happened, takes vacation time and follows the killers' trail back to Beverly Hills, California.

HilarityEnsues as Axel adjusts to the more straight-laced world of Beverly Hills, using his comedic timing and unflappability to get himself out of some sticky situations. As he tries to build a case againt the {{Mook}}s that killed his friend back in Detroit, he manages to talk his way into (and out of) the Beverly Hills jail, his hotel, a bonded warehouse, a country club, and more. Just when he's about to crack the case, the BigBad arrives and kidnaps his [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend not-quite-love-interest]], Jeannette Summers (Lisa Eilbacher), forcing the Beverly Hills police detectives he's been trying to win over to come and help. The movie ends in [[StormingTheCastle a massive, scenery-chewing shootout at the villain's huge mansion]], with the local detectives learning that sometimes bending the rules isn't so bad after all.

The film was followed by two sequels: ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopII'' (1987) and ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopIII'' (1994).

!!''Beverly Hills Cop'' provides examples of:

* TheAllegedCar: Axel's beat up old Chevy Nova, which is apparently a RunningGag between him and Jeannette.* AuditThreat: When Axel is caught illegally searching for evidence, he pretends to be an inspector and threatens an employee who questions his authority with an IRS audit. The employee drops his objections.* BadOmenAnecdote: Billy explicitly calls out the BolivianArmyEnding of ''Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid'' near the end, when he and Taggart are pinned down by enemy gunfire. It's clear that he is having the time of his life while doing so. Taggart, on the other hand, is less than amused.* BananaInTheTailpipe: To throw Taggart and Rosewood off his trail, Axel orders food delivered to their car, which is outside the hotel. While they are distracted, he borrows a bunch of bananas from an obliging fellow and stuffs them in the car's tailpipe. When they attempt to follow him, it stalls out. Bogomil reams them out for it, and Foster and McCabe, the team that is eventually reassigned to tail Axel, teases Billy by giving him an "anti-banana disguise" (a pair of gag glasses with a banana for a nose).* BavarianFireDrill: It starts with Axel, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, bluffing his way into a suite at the Beverly Palm Hotel by pretending to be a freelance reporter doing an exclusive interview of Creator/MichaelJackson for ''Rolling Stone'' and threatening to call the hotel staff racists. The theme continues throughout all three films.* BigBad: Victor Maitland.* BigDamnHeroes: Occurs twice. The first time comes after Axel tells Billy to WaitHere outside Maitland's warehouse, and Billy is subsequently forced to go rescue him. The second is when Bogomil bursts in on the MexicanStandoff between Axel and Maitland, with Jeannette as the hostage.* BigGuyLittleGuy: Taggart and Rosewood, the cops assigned to watch Axel and whom he eventually befriends.* BikiniBar: Axel visits one with Taggart and Rosewood in tow, then ends up breaking up a robbery.* BlackAndNerdy: The black guy on the second team assigned to shadow Axel, who has no problem lampshading it:-->'''White Cop''': We're the first team.-->'''Black Cop''': Yeah, and we're not gonna fall for a banana in the tailpipe.-->'''Axel''': [nasally voice] You're not gonna fall for the banana in the tailpipe? [normal voice] It should be more natural, brother. It should flow out, like this - "Look, man, I ain't fallin' for no banana in my tailpipe!" See, that's more natural for us. You been hanging out with this dude too long. * BlatantLies: Bogomil's cover story at the end about Axel being part of a multijurisdictional task force on organized crime is so obviously made up on the spot that the police chief is on the verge of cracking up over it, but he lets it pass given the [[SavedByTheAwesome incredible nature of the bust they've just pulled off]].-->'''Chief:''' You actually expect me to believe that report, Lieutenant?\\'''Bogomil:''' That's the report I'm filing, sir.\\'''Chief:''' [looks around at the other cops] Sargent Taggart, why don't you tell me what really happened?\\'''Taggart:''' It happened . . . [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight exactly the way the lieutenant said it did, sir.]]\\'''Chief:''' [{{beat}}] Well . . . I guess congratulations are in order. That report had better be on my desk in the morning. [leaves]\\'''Axel:''' You were lying your ass off!** Maitland has his goons throw Foley threw an open windows, and claims Foley did it. The police that the story since [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Maitland has more credibility]] than some obnoxious Detroit cop.* BolivianArmyEnding: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] by Rosewood during the big shootout, to Taggart's horror.-->'''Rosewood:''' You know what I keep thinking about? You know the end of [[ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid Butch Cassidy]]? Redford and Newman are almost out of ammunition, and the whole Bolivian army is out- out in front of this little hut?\\'''Taggart:''' Billy, I'm gonna make you pay for this. * ByTheBookCop: The basic premise of the film is the contrast between Axel's CowboyCop methods and the by-the-book methods of the Beverly Hills police department. Over the course of the story, Taggart, Rosewood, and Bogomil all ease up to varying degrees.** Billy starts to idolize Axel and, in the second film, [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]] to emulate him.** Taggart learns to trust his instincts and act on probable cause, but he's always angry about it.** Bogomil lies blatantly to the police chief in order to cover for Axel at the end.* CatchPhrase: Axel: "Trust me!" Jeffrey: "This is not my [locker/office]!" Todd: "You're damn right!"* TheCavalry: The entire Beverly Hills police force shows up just in the nick of time to rescue Taggart and Rosewood. * CharacterDevelopment: Both Rosewood and Taggart have moments when they are forced to abandon their ByTheBookCop methods in order to rescue Axel and Jeannette, respectively.* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Billy shows symptoms of this, with Taggart getting to play straight man to his bizarre non-sequiturs.-->'''Billy:''' It says here that, by the age of 40, the average American [[TooMuchInformation has more than five pounds of undigested red meat in his bowels]].* ClusterFBomb: Axel's speech is littered with profanity, which is deliberately contrasted with the Beverly Hills cops' elaborate politeness. When Axel is first being interrogated, his F-bomb gets him punched in the stomach by Taggart, after which Bogomil offers to allow him to press charges. Axel is visibly surprised by this.-->'''Taggart:''' We're more likely to believe an important local businessman than a foul-mouthed jerk from out of town.\\'''Axel:''' "Foul-mouthed"? Fuck you, man.* CowboyCop: In the opening, Axel is running a sting operation with a truckload of stolen cigarettes. The problem is that he didn't tell anyone he was doing so, leading to a beat cop blowing the deal. Inspector Todd chews him out over this, implying that it's hardly the first time he's gone off without authorization.* DaChief: Foley's boss, Inspector Todd, who was played by an actual Detroit cop.-->'''Axel''': Wait a second, look. I just thought, that if there was a problem --->'''Todd''': Don't think, Axel! It makes my ''dick itch''!** Also, Chief Hubbard of the Beverly Hills Police Department. He has a different style than Todd, but is just as stern.* DeadpanSnarker: Taggart and Billy exchange straight man and funny guy roles throughout the film, but usually it's Taggart snarking at something Billy says. Axel also alternates between deadpan and overtly laughing at the antics of the Beverly Hills cops.* DestinationDefenestration: Axel: "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis I was thrown. Through. A fucking. Window!]]"* TheDragon: Zack is Maitland's bodyguard and apparent enforcer-in-chief; Axel flips him into a buffet table in their first encounter, and shoots him dead in their last.* EvilBrit: Maitland* FormerTeenRebel: Axel, who "fractured an occasional law".* FreezeFrameBonus: If you frame-by-frame the scene where Axel throws Zack over the buffet table, you can [[ObviousStuntDouble clearly see the faces of their stunt doubles.]] * FunnyForeigner: Serge (played by '''Bronson Pinchot'''), one of Jeannette's employees at the gallery, has a truly absurd accent that goes [[UnexplainedAccent entirely unexplained]].%%* HollywoodCalifornia* GuileHero: Axel may be a good shot, but the majority of the headway he makes in the course of his investigations comes from his ability to talk his through a situation and influence people who have something he needs.* HollywoodLaw: See the Headscratchers page.* HarpoDoesSomethingFunny: By the time Eddie Murphy was attached to the project, the script had been shopped around considerably and rewritten several times. Many of the funniest scenes just resulted from Eddie and the other actors improvising in place of the scripted lines.* IgnoringBySinging: After messing up the cigarette sting operation Axel is bothered by Jeffrey. Axel uses the "la la la" version while trying to get Jeffrey to stop. -->'''Foley''': I am not listening to you. -->'''Jeffrey''': Great. Real mature. -->'''Foley''': I am not listening to Jeffrey, but he's still talking. -->'''Jeffrey''': I hate when you do that. * ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Maitland's goons apparently trained on how to shoot up statuary rather than people; despite rocking out at full-auto with their Uzis, they can't hit ''anything''.%%* ImportantCharacterImportantEvidence* ItCameFromBeverlyHills: If the title didn't clue you in already, most of the film's action takes place in Beverly Hills and its environs.* JurisdictionFriction: Axel has no jurisdiction in Beverly Hills but manages to bluff his way through an investigation with a quick badge flash and/or [[BavarianFireDrill straight-up lying]].* {{Leitmotif}}: The instrumental piece "Axel F" has become a sort of national anthem for TheEighties.* LemmingCops: When the Beverly Hills cops are driving en masse into Maitland's mansion, some of his mooks try [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere a getaway]] only to crash and cause the entire line of police cars to get into a chain of rear-end collisions, and Bogomil to break his ByTheBookCop face to exclaim, "Oh, ''[[PrecisionFStrike shit!]]''"* LetsGetDangerous: Detective Billy Rosewood is generally a nice guy, although somewhat naive and dim-witted. Do ''not'' aim, or worse yet, fire, a gun at him. You will see the flash, the bullet will kill you, and your dead ears will never hear the report. He never needs a second shot.* MexicanStandoff: Occurs briefly at the end of the first movie, with Axel squaring off against Maitland, with Jeannette as hostage. [[spoiler:Bogomill breaks it up by [[BigDamnHeroes entering the scene]], giving her an opportunity to break free and giving the two cops a clear shot.]]* MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot: A gangland style murder and some German bearer bonds lead Axel to uncover a large cocaine smuggling operation.* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The Beverly Hills police have some traits of this, but come around in the end.* ObfuscatingStupidity:** Not exactly intentional on his part, but the police and criminals of Beverly Hills alike mistake Axel's less than textbook approach as ignorance and stupidity. That doesn't stop him from taking advantage of their underestimation.** He also deliberately uses a "foolish black man" act several times to get past people by convincing them he's just a simpleminded servant.* OnlyAFleshWound: When Axel gets shot in the shoulder by Maitland, he keeps going on one arm. It's even {{lampshaded}} near the end.-->'''Chief Hubbard:''' "What is that man doing here?"-->'''Axel:''' "[[MathematiciansAnswer Bleeding, sir]]."* PantsPositiveSafety: Axel keeps his service automatic shoved into his belt, behind his back.* PlayingDrunk: While at the bikini bar with Taggart and Rosewood, Axel pretends to be drunk to make a suspected armed robber think he's harmless and get close enough to take him out.* PrecisionFStrike: When the Beverly Hills cops curse, it's a sign of a significant OOCIsSeriousBusiness moment.* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Inspector Bogomil, who in early scenes comes off as a by-the-book ObstructiveBureaucrat, proves himself one of these when he actually listens to Axel's theories about Maitland and launches an investigation. Later, he overhears that Axel and two of his officers are StormingTheCastle without authorization. Instead of getting angry, he assumes they have a good reason and responds by sending half of the Beverly Hills Police department to back them up, while arming himself to personally join the gunfight.-->'''Dispatcher:''' Sir, reports of shots fired, same location. 609 Palm Canyon Road.-->'''Bogomil:''' ''as he straps on a holster and his personal weapon:'' Put it out as a nine-nine-eight! Officers need assistance! Undercovers on scene!-->'''Dispatcher:''' Sir?-->'''Bogomil:''' Do it! I want all North End units to roll, South End units stay in their location. Damn!-->'''Dispatcher:''' All units, 609 Palm Canyon Road. Undercover officers at location.* SavedByTheAwesome: It's strongly implied that the reason the police chief lets Bogomil get away with his BlatantLies at the end is the magnitude of the drug bust that was just made.* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Some of Maitland's security goons try a getaway upon realizing that the entire Beverly Hills police force is on its way into the mansion.* SherlockScan: At the bikini bar, Axel is able to determine that two guys are about to rob the place solely on the fact that they were wearing overcoats in the middle of June. * SignatureLaugh: Axel, so much that it was used in all the advertising.* StealingFromTheHotel: Axel ''loves'' his hotel's bathrobes. When Taggart offers to buy him one to take home, he tells them he's already got a couple in his bags.* StormingTheCastle: Maitland's mansion, with one of the most hilarious shootout scenes ever filmed.* SwissCheeseSecurity: Axel gets into a Federal Customs facility merely by hopping a fence, then flashing his badge to the first person he sees and ordering everyone around. They assume that, if he's inside the perimeter, he must belong inside the perimeter. ** Moreover, when Axel confronts the manager of the facility, he cites his own presence as proof of SwissCheeseSecurity and thus grounds to have the entire place scrutinized.* TalkToTheFist: Taggart gut-punches Axel after the latter drops an f-bomb during an interview; this showcases just how different they are that Axel can provoke a ByTheBookCop to violence.-->'''Taggart:''' Who are we going to believe, a respected local businessman, or a foul-mouthed jerk from out of town?\\'''Axel:''' Foul-mouthed? Fuck you, man.\\'''Taggart:''' [punches him]* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Axel and Bogomil empty their weapons into Maitland, shooting him at least twenty times when just one or two shots would have probably been sufficient enough to take him down.* TapOnTheHead: One of Maitland's {{mooks}} knocks Axel out before Mikey is killed. He later taunts Axel about it while beating him up.-->'''Casey:''' "How's that little bump on the head I gave you in Detroit? Healed up nice, I hope."* UnexplainedAccent: Serge's bizarre accent is unremarked upon by everyone except Axel.* VillainBall: Much of the plot depends on Victor Maitland being a moron. See the Headscratchers page for more detail.* WaitHere: Axel tells Billy to wait outside the bonded warehouse, as he doesn't have probable cause to enter. When it becomes obvious that Axel and Jeannette are in trouble, Billy is forced to decide whether he's willing to go outside the book in order to save them, setting up his moment of CharacterDevelopment.* WeHardlyKnewYe: Axel's friend Mikey gets offed in the opening act to set up the plot.